


Catching A Raven

by squiggid



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Age Difference, Daddy Kink, Dumb Boys Doing Everything They Can To Not Admit Their Feelings To Each Other, Flirting, Hook-Up, M/M, Raven Is Tired Leave Him Alone, TIL Nobody Ships Flynn and Raven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:40:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23973181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squiggid/pseuds/squiggid
Summary: Back when they were knights, their bickering got them in trouble too many times to count. This time, though, it looks like everyone’s minding their own business, especially the familiar old man having a drink on the restaurant’s patio.An impish grin crosses Yuri’s face.“How about this, then,” Yuri challenges, turning his attention back to the annoyed knight in front of him. “First one to get Raven in bed with him wins.”
Relationships: Flynn Scifo/Raven, Raven & Flynn Scifo, Yuri Lowell/Flynn Scifo, Yuri Lowell/Raven
Comments: 10
Kudos: 47





	Catching A Raven

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer that there are no explicit sexy times between Yuri and Flynn here, only implied ones (they’re too tired after fucking around with Raven), but there’s definitely a lot of sexual tension and FEELINGS... These Boys Will Be The Death Of Me.
> 
> Also there is a part that is lightly inspired by a Raihan/Leon comic by @LizardMie!

It’s good to see Flynn again. Even as they’re running around tying up loose ends before the world may come to an end, there’s something about seeing a familiar face that puts Yuri at ease.

They’ve stopped by some town in order to stock up on supplies and rest up for a bit, and most of them have split off to their separate ways. As Yuri wanders around the town making sure everyone’s staying out of trouble, he spots his long time best friend and a woman chatting in front of a restaurant.

“I really can’t thank you enough,” she says.

“Not a problem at all,” Flynn replies with a smile.

“Do you want to step inside? I can get you a drink.”

“Oh, no, thank you, I shouldn’t drink on the job.”

“It’ll only be one drink. I owe it to you.”

“I appreciate it, but I’m just doing my duty,” Flynn responds, stepping away. “Have a good night.”

As Flynn leaves, catching sight of his best friend and heading in his direction, Yuri crosses his arms and lets his mouth rest on its natural smirk.

“You know she wanted to sleep with you, right?” he says once Flynn’s within earshot.

“She did?” Flynn says, glancing back at the now-pouting woman.

With a wry smile, Yuri pats Flynn on the shoulder. “Good to have you back, Flynn.”

“Can it, Yuri, I don’t need condescension from anyone—least of all, you,” Flynn snaps back.

“Hey, I just think it’s funny,” Yuri laughs, shaking his head. “Flynn Scifo, pride of the Lower Quarter, knight of all knights: still can’t get a girl to save his life.”

“I-I can get a girl, thank you very much!” Flynn blurts, flustered. “And I don’t need to prove that to anyone, especially not to you.”

“Fine, what about a guy, then?” Yuri counters, leaning in. “If you’re so confident about girls.”

The space between them is small, and Flynn’s eyes instinctively dart down to Yuri’s mouth.

“I can... get a guy.” Flynn whispers.

“I don’t count, Flynn, you know I’d fuck you in a heartbeat.”

“Oh, shut up, Yuri.” Flynn’s loud and flustered again. Just like that, the sexual tension between them disappears. “I can get other guys who aren’t you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm,” Yuri trails off, glancing around them to make sure they haven’t made too much of a scene. Back when they were knights, their bickering got them in trouble too many times to count. This time, though, it looks like everyone’s minding their own business, especially the familiar old man having a drink on the restaurant’s patio.

An impish grin crosses Yuri’s face.

“How about this, then,” Yuri challenges, turning his attention back to the annoyed knight in front of him. “First one to get Raven in bed with him wins.”

“W-what?” Flynn exclaims, giving Yuri one his usual disbelieving looks. “You want me to—with Captain Schwann?”

“Hey, you seemed pretty confident,” Yuri says, shrugging, “but if you’re not up for the challenge...”

“It’s not that, it’s just... we have a job to do, Yuri.”

“Oh, come on. Consider this a side quest.” Yuri nudges Flynn by the elbow. “Didn’t they ever tell you you had to loosen up?”

“No, actually, I’ve been praised for following through with my orders.”

“Hm. Oh, well. You’re no fun, as usual.”

Sighing dramatically, Yuri crosses his arms over his head and starts walking off.

One... two... three...

“OK, fine, but if I win—”

“If you win, you get to actually top for once,” Yuri interrupts with a grin, spinning around and walking back to a riled-up Flynn. “But if I win, I get to do whatever the fuck I want with you.”

“That hardly seems fair.”

“Huh. You may be onto something there.”

Flynn’s face is red from both embarrassment and anger, but he’s giving Yuri all his attention. That look, this attention, this is what Yuri loves, this is what he missed whenever Flynn wasn’t in their party.

“If I win, I get to ask you to do something for me,” Yuri says, giving Flynn a steady look. “If you win, you can do the same.”

Flynn’s eyebrows furrow, and his eyes dart between Yuri’s eyes to see if there’s any mischief there. He must be satisfied with what he sees, because he says, “Fine. Is there a time limit?”

“No,” Yuri says. Then, with a wink, “But knowing you, you’d better pick up the pace, babe.”

Flynn manages to get in an eye roll before Rita’s shrill voice calls out to them.

“Are you two done fucking around yet? We don’t have all day.”

—

Ba’ul’s a big boy, but he needs a break every once in a while, so they travel on foot from the town to a forest to snag some rare materials to forge better weapons before the final battle. Everyone knows it’s going to be a tough fight against some big monsters, so there’s a bit of tension in the air as they trudge through the forest. The air in the crowd is a bit dull, not unlike the dull pits of Raven’s tired, old heart.

Karol, with his nose for adventure, and Estelle, with her handy book, are taking the lead in tracking down a monster, which is probably why one Yuri Lowell is able to hang back at the rear of the crowd for once to join ol’ Raven.

“You doing all right, old man?” Yuri asks in a tone where Raven can’t tell if he’s teasing or if he actually cares.

Raven shrugs and sighs. “Oh, you know, as all right as an old man can be.”

“Aren’t you only, like, 35?”

“Feels a lot older when you’ve already died twice,” Raven explains matter-of-factly. “Hangin’ around young folks like you isn’t helping much, either.”

“Hey, I’m only 22,” Yuri says easily. “Not too young.”

The way Yuri says that, with that sly smile, that cock of his head, the way his eyes trail down Raven’s body...

This is new. But Raven’s not the type of guy to lead someone on.

“Sorry, kid, but you’re not my type,” Raven lets down gently.

“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t fuck me if you had a shot.”

Raven gives the boy a steady look. It’s been a while since someone’s taken an interest in him like this. To be honest, it’s been a while since he’s tried, really. He’s just been preoccupied and, well, tired.

“Oh, to be young,” Raven muses. “I’m afraid I don’t have the energy to keep up with you.”

“Maybe that’s what I’m looking for, someone more mature to handle me,” Yuri counters before adding, “or try to, at least.”

“You’re better off tryin’ ta get with Flynn.”

”Nah, he’s no fun anymore.” Yuri’s eyes travel off to the back of the blonde head ahead of him. He turns his attention back to Raven and steps in closer. “You, on the other hand. You could show me a good time, can’t you, old man?”

Raven tries to fight down an amused smile. “You’re very forward.”

“I have a feeling the world’s ending soon, so why not take a shot, hmm?” Yuri says, leaning in closer with a glint in his eye.

Raven’s sure that Yuri would have pounced on him if they weren’t ambushed by a monster right then.

—

Deeper in the jungle, they come across a pool of pink liquid to which Rita finds an extreme fascination. They stop for a moment for Rita to study it, for Patty and Karol to eat some snacks, and for everyone to generally just stop and take a breather.

Raven finds a waterfall that’s not pink, and he peels off his shirt to try to wash off the blood from an earlier fight. He’d rather not sleep in bloodied clothes tonight, thanks.

He hears the footsteps and the clinking metal of armor before he hears Flynn’s voice.

“C-Captain Schwann, sir.”

“At ease, soldier, I’m just Raven now,” he mutters, squeezing out water from his shirt.

“Yes, my apologies.” Flynn’s voice is gentle, nervous, not like the proud, stern knight he can be. “Old habits.”

“I get it.”

“I, um,” Flynn hesitates. “I wanted to know if there was anything I could assist you with.”

Finally, Raven pauses his task and regards the knight more fully. “You know, I’m not your superior anymore.”

“Maybe not technically, but I still look up to you and respect you.”

A part of Raven is touched—he remembers when this used to happen to him more, when he was a knight himself, with the younger knights around him. It’s an interaction he didn’t know he missed until now.

But a part of him feels like that’s a foreign part of his life now, a part he wants to leave behind.

“Trust me, kid, the Captain Schwann you'reused to know isn’t here anymore,” Raven explains with a sad smile. “I’m just an old man now.”

“You’re more than that,” Flynn blurts, stepping forward. “Please, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. I can clean your wound, if you’d like.”

“Hmm?” Raven glances down at his clawed arm. That monster was a nasty one. “It’s OK, it’s something Estelle can fix up in a second.”

“It’s best not to have Lady Estellise exert herself more than necessary.” Flynn steps forward again and takes Raven’s arm. “Please, allow me.”

Flynn’s hands, wrapping Raven’s arms in a bandage, are gentle for a knight’s. Raven’s not going to lie—he’d rather have a beautiful woman like Judith tend to his wound instead of this flustered, pure-hearted boy, but the attention and care is still welcome.

Flynn’s blue eyes meet his, and a blush flushes over the boy’s cheeks as he realizes just how close they are and just how shirtless Raven is—until Rita’s familiar shriek of “OK, OK, I’m done already!” rings through the forest, and Flynn scurries away, red-faced.

The young knight’s not a girl, but there is something about him that’s not too different from one.

—

Getting out of the forest is a mess. All of them are tired, hungry, and worn down from fighting back countless enemies. They can see the exit, the grassy open field just outside of the thicket of trees, but yet another group of oversized crickets have blocked their way.

Raven shoots a monster down and then scans around the area. Estelle and Rita are casting, Repede and Flynn are overtaking a monster, Judith is high in the air while Karol is attacking from below, Patty is doing god knows what, and Yuri...

Yuri?

Raven catches a flash of long, purple hair ducking behind a wall of rock.

Panic strikes Raven’s chest, and he rushes forward. Everyone’s busy with their own enemies, and all Raven’s good for is supporting, anyway. Wherever Yuri’s gone off to, he can do his best to support him from afar.

Raven rounds the corner just in time to see Yuri deliver a final blow to a monster before falling to his knees.

“Yuri!” Raven exclaims, rushing to his side.

With a stream of blood leaking down from his scalp over a closed eyelid, Yuri simply says, “Hey, old man. You came to my rescue.”

“Are you OK?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.”

“Give me some of your love, and I’ll be fine.”

He’s not sure that his healing arrows will be enough for all that, but Raven shoots one into the sky anyway. 

Yuri grabs his shirt and pulls him close.

“That’s not what I meant, asshole,” Yuri nearly growls, and then he pulls him into a kiss.

The kiss is hard and demanding, even when Yuri’s hurt, on his knees. The healing arrow shoots down, and with Yuri’s strength rejuvenating, he starts deepening the kiss, pulling Raven even closer.

There’s a moment where Raven’s guard slips. It’s just been so long, and having someone so desperately wanting him is hard to ignore. He sighs against Yuri’s mouth and kisses back, just for a second, before the sounds of battle behind him register in his trained ears and he pushes the boy back.

“Yuri, stop.”

“Oh, come on.”

“We have to get back.”

“Agh, you’re no fun,” Yuri says, lightly scowling and getting up from the ground.

“I’m too old to have fun,” Raven agrees.

Making sure Yuri’s able to get up on his own, Raven turns and starts to leave, but a hand grabs his wrist.

“Meet me tonight,” Yuri murmurs.

“I’ll be fast asleep in my old age.”

“No, you won’t.”

Yuri brings Raven’s hand up to his mouth and whispers against Raven’s palm, “Stay up for me.”

Slowly, Yuri slides his tongue up and between Raven’s fingers before taking them in his mouth. Feeling the soft wetness of the insides of Yuri’s mouth shoots a jolt of pleasure through Raven’s body. Against his better judgment, he allows himself to dip a little deeper into Yuri’s mouth and against that swirling tongue before yanking his hand away.

“Let’s go,” he says with a shaky voice.

He doesn’t miss the smirk on Yuri’s face as they head back.

—

Everyone’s too tired by the time they finally manage to leave the forest, so instead of trudging to the nearest town, they set up a camp. Or at least they’re halfway through setting it up when Karol notices Judith is gone, Rita takes off to make sure she’s not about to destroy a blastia, and Estelle chases after Rita.

“You guys,” Yuri groans as Patty bounces off after Estelle. “Someone has to look after the camp.”

“I’ll stay,” Raven resigns. If there’s ever an option to stay put, he’ll take it.

“In that case, I’ll stay, as well,” Flynn volunteers.

Yuri’s eyebrow twitches. He gives Flynn a suspicious look and says cautiously, “Maybe I should stay instead.”

“You’ve had more experience dealing with Judith and Rita,” Flynn counters with a knowing smile. “I believe you’re better suited to handle the situation.”

“Have you given up trying to keep Estelle out of trouble?”

“No, but I think she’s grown quite fond of your style of protection. Maybe you should go after her.”

The two boys are looking at each other with an electricity Raven’s never seen before. For once, Flynn’s the one who looks smug, like he has the upper hand, while Yuri’s gritting his teeth and glaring at the other boy.

Finally, Yuri relaxes and shrugs. “Eh, I probably have nothing to worry about anyway. Karol, let’s go.”

And the two (plus the dog) run after Patty.

A part of Raven wonders what that was all about, but a part of him also doesn’t care enough to think about it too hard. Maybe Flynn just wanted a break from all this running around. He understands; knighthood is tiresome.

Yawning, Raven finishes setting up his tent and then crawls inside. The sounds of Flynn setting up the other tent and getting a fire going flitter in from the outside. He’s such a responsible boy; no wonder he climbed up the ranks so fast.

It’s not too long afterward when Raven’s tent door flap opens and Flynn pokes his head in.

“May I come in?” he asks.

“Sure.”

Flynn ducks his head and enters the tent, carrying a mug. It’s a somewhat small tent, so Raven sits up to let Flynn sit next to him.

Maybe a bit too close, but that can’t be helped with the size of the tent. 

“It’s a little cold tonight, isn’t it?” Flynn says, and Raven notices how soft Flynn’s voice is now compared to when he was jiving with Yuri.

“A little.”

“I was hoping to stay inside,” Flynn says, awkwardly glancing between Raven and his mug. “You know, for the cold.”

“Mmhmm.”

Raven doesn’t mention that there are plenty of other empty tents around them.

Flynn clears his throat and offers his mug. “I made you some tea. Thought it’d warm you up a bit.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Accepting the mug, Raven takes a sip. It’s true; the cozy drink warms him up inside. Warms him up about just as well as Flynn’s warm body next to him, which Raven just now realizes is devoid of its usual armor. He must have taken it off before coming into the tent.

“You didn’t make any for yourself?” Raven asks, and he realizes his own voice has also softened a bit.

“A-ah, no, I just wanted to give you some,” Flynn says, flustered.

“Takin’ care of your elders, huh?”

“Something like that.”

Raven takes another sip, and Flynn edges even closer.

“A-actually...” Flynn says. “Do you mind if I have some?”

The boy’s practically crawling onto his lap at this point.

“Sure,” Raven says, offering the drink.

Taking the cup, Flynn stares at Raven as he takes a slow sip. His eyes are so blue, unblinking, even when he places the mug down next to them, finally climbs onto Raven’s lap, and then leans forward and kisses him gently, ever so gently. 

Who knew such a sweet boy was the Acting Commandant of the knights?

Kissing Flynn is different from kissing Yuri. With Flynn’s toned body that Raven’s just beginning to explore with his hands, it’s clear that the boy has strength, but he’s choosing to be soft right now, choosing to kiss him so tenderly with the lightest of touches on both sides of Raven’s face. 

Finally, Flynn pulls back and smiles. His smile is warm like the tea.

“You’re a sweet boy,” Raven murmurs.

Flynn laughs and kisses him again, more fully this time. It looks like Flynn can be more than sweet; he can be the full meal, with deep kisses and hands burying into Raven’s hair. Raven matches his energy, trailing off from Flynn’s mouth to kiss and suck at his neck.

“C-captain... Raven...”

A hardness begins to poke at Raven’s stomach. He can feel himself starting to get hard, too, but Flynn’s young body responds more quickly, more eagerly. There might not be enough time, but Raven’s always willing to make a bet, whether it’s on his life or on a needy boy in his lap.

“We have to be fast,” Raven mutters, fingers messing with the drawstrings of Flynn’s pants.

Flynn nods in understanding and then lets out a mix between a sigh and a moan as Raven’s hand closes over his length. As Raven begins to pump, Flynn starts to move against his hand, lightly bouncing in his lap, lightly bouncing right on Raven’s growing arousal.

“Wait, wait, I...” Flynn’s voice is just a breath. “I would like to... may I...”

Raven swallows and tries his best to use his head over what’s in his pants. “I don’t know if we have time.”

“Please,” Flynn begs. “I don’t want to be selfish.”

He really is such a sweet boy. 

With a slight adjustment of his hips, Raven warns, “We have to be quick.”

Flynn nods again and gets up a bit to let Raven push his pants down just enough to free his hardening cock. As much as he wants to take Flynn right now, he doesn’t want to hurt the boy, so he dips his fingers into his mouth and then wiggles one inside Flynn’s ass. Flynn’s eyes are closed, his lips are parted, and he’s breathing hard and whimpering as Raven’s fingers twist deeper and deeper into Flynn’s hole.

“S-Sir, I...”

“Sit.”

With his arms around Raven’s neck, Flynn starts to slowly sit down onto Raven’s hard cock. Raven can feel Flynn’s ass closing around his cock, adjusting and accepting, and it feels so good, it’s been so long. Flynn takes him all the way in and then starts bouncing up and down, arms tight around his neck, most likely trying his absolute hardest not to be too loud with his whimpers.

“You’re a good boy,” Raven whispers, gripping Flynn’s waist and bucking up into him. “You’re my good boy.”

That must be enough to bring Flynn over the edge, because he pushes himself back harder onto Raven’s cock and cries out, fingers twisting into Raven’s hair and pulling his head back as warm liquid spurts between their bodies. With a firm grip on Flynn’s waist, Raven thrusts into him hard, drawing out more cries from the younger man as he shudders his own release into him.

There’s barely enough time for them to gather their breaths or even their clothes, really, before yelps and trampling footsteps approach the camp, with, of course, Patty at the front of the crowd, laughing hard and saying she’s caught a big one, even as she’s dodging bites from a huge, nasty monster.

—

The camp is ruined, and the monster chases them all the way back to town. If they were tired before, they’re exhausted now, and nobody says a word as they check into an inn. With mumbled “good nights,” they break off into pairs and enter their respective rooms: Yuri and Flynn, Rita and Estelle, Patty and Judith, Karol and Repede, and Raven by himself. Yuri had insisted that Repede get a nice bed for once, and they can afford getting Raven a separate room. Everyone’s too tired to argue about it.

After taking a moment to wash himself up, Raven heads to his room with heavy eyelids. He falls asleep as soon as he hits the bed, but he jolts back awake and glares daggers at the door when it opens however many hours later.

“Calm down, old man, it’s only me.”

Yuri. Of course. The boy had asked to see him tonight.

“Geez, you looked at me like I was gonna kill you,” Yuri says, closing the door behind him and approaching the bed.

Relaxing now that he knows that the intruder isn’t an enemy, Raven sinks back into the bed and admits, with everything that’s happened today, “I just don’t know what to expect anymore.”

“Well, I gave you fair warning.”

It’s true. He’d just forgotten, what with being chased by a monster and all.

With a swing of his legs, Yuri climbs on top of him, straddling his waist. It’s dark, but Raven can still see the smirk on his face as Yuri leans down and kisses him. Maybe it’s the familiarity after being with Flynn earlier, maybe it’s the privacy of his own room for once, but Raven’s not as hesitant now against Yuri’s mouth as he was before. He kisses back and matches Yuri’s energy, touching his waist, his hips, his ass.

Yuri snickers into his mouth. “I knew it, I knew you wanted to fuck me.”

To fuck Yuri Lowell. He could really fuck the star of the show, the bad boy and older brother of the group. Yuri Lowell, ex-knight, bringer of justice through whatever means necessary, is on his lap and begging to be fucked by him.

With a surge of confidence, Raven takes Yuri’s waist and flips them so he’s on top. Kissing him hard, his hand travels downward to free and touch Yuri’s hardening cock, reeling out a breathy groan from the boy. The groan reminds him of their interaction earlier, and he reaches up and dips his fingers into Yuri’s mouth again. With heavy-lidded eyes, Yuri sucks on his fingers, swirling his talented tongue all around them. His moist mouth is too much of a good taste of what’s to come, and Raven pulls back and wiggles his fingers inside Yuri’s ass, comparing the tight wetness down there.

“Fuck, old man,” Yuri groans, twisting the bed sheets with his hands and twisting his body onto Raven’s fingers. “I’m not a bitch, I can take you.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Hah!” Yuri grasps Raven’s shirt sleeve and pulls him close, saying through gritted teeth, “You’re not gonna hurt me, you bastard. I can take it.”

There’s a part of Raven that wants to see what the famous Yuri Lowell can do in bed, and there’s another part of him that wants to teach this spunky kid a lesson.

The boy says he can take it, so Raven takes his fingers out before they’ve fully stretched out the hole. With a quick swipe of his mouth over his other hand, he briefly pumps his hard cock with saliva before lining up their hips and pushing in. Almost immediately, Yuri lurches off the bed, hand scrambling out to brace against the headboard behind him. A shudder rips through him, and his Adam’s apple bobs as he strains his neck, but he doesn’t show any clear signs of rejection, so Raven keeps pushing in. Yuri’s ass is so tight all around his cock, tighter than Flynn’s arms were around his neck, and he’s not going to lie—it feels amazing.

Slowly, Raven starts picking up a rhythm. Every thrust into Yuri relaxes him, both the tightness in his ass and the tight expression on his face. Soon, he has that infuriating smirk on his face again, like he’s won, even when he’s getting fucked. 

“You’re a little prick, you know that?” Raven says under his breath.

Yuri grins. “Have I been a bad boy?”

“You need to be taught a lesson.”

“Teach me, then.” Yuri wraps his legs around Raven’s waist. “Wreck me, daddy.”

It doesn’t last long after that. Raven lifts Yuri’s hips and pounds into him, not caring anymore if he’s hurting the boy, trusting that his groans are of pleasure and not pain. This edge must be what Yuri likes, because he’s moaning loudly, legs tight around Raven’s waist, nails digging into Raven’s neck as he comes hard between them. Seeing Yuri,  the  Yuri Lowell, this frustratingly attractive delinquent, come undone underneath him and knowing that he was the one to do it is enough for Raven to come deep inside Yuri with a low grunt of his own.

A few seconds of heavy breathing, and then the exhaustion hits Raven again. He groans, leans his weight into Yuri, and mutters, “You boys are gonna kill me. First Flynn, and now you.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘first Flynn’?” Yuri snaps, all arousal wiped away from his eyes to be replaced by disbelief. “You mean he actually managed to get to you before I did?”

Raven pauses. “What are you talking about?”

“Shit. Damn it. OK, get off me, old man.”

Looks like all that wasn’t enough to teach the rude kid a lesson. With a swift tug, Raven pulls out, causing a pool of liquid to flow out of Yuri’s constricting hole. It’s a hassle, but Raven takes a moment to leave the room and return with a towel to clean up the mess. He certainly doesn’t want to sleep on top of any dried spunk tonight.

“All right, so what’s this about getting to me first?” Raven asks once he’s tossed the towel off to the side. “You too have some sort of a bet?”

“Something like that,” Yuri explains, sitting up against the headboard to give Raven room to sit on the edge of the bed. “First one to win gets to ask the other to do something for them.”

“And here I was thinking I’ve got it again in my old age,” Raven sighs, shaking his head. “What were you gonna ask him?”

Yuri frowns and looks away. “I was going to ask him... to come with us.”

“He is with us.”

“No, I mean, really come with us.”

Raven raises an eyebrow. “You wanted him to drop the knights and come traveling the world with us?”

“Maybe not... all the time, but...”

Yuri sighs and lowers his head against his bent knee. It must have been an importantask if he’s moping this hard about it.

What a silly boy. He could have just asked, but instead he’d made this elaborate plan just so it wouldn’t be so obvious he wanted Flynn to stay.

With a dry smile, Raven gives Yuri a pat on the head. “Chin up, kid. Just be honest with yourself.”

Scowling, Yuri swats Raven’s hand away. “I don’t need to be told that from you.”

It’s a sentence that could be hurtful, but Yuri never means to hurt—not really.

Yuri gets up and off the bed. “I’m going back to my room. Thanks for the fuck.”

One day, maybe, Raven will teach that young man some manners. For now, though, he’s going back to bed.

—

When Yuri goes back to his room, he sneaks in stealthily in the way he’s learned over the years trying not to alert any knights or other possible enemies. Raven was too experienced to see past his sneaky habits, but Flynn’s still young and sleeping the night away.

Going to sleep and waking up with Flynn next to him is a nice, familiar sight. They’d done it for so long when he was with the knights and maybe some late nights back at the Lower Quarter. Even when the world is ending, this familiar sight of Flynn by his side is all he needs to believe there’s good in the world, to have something to fight for, to have hope.

As long as everything goes according to plan in the final battle...

The thought of things  _not_ going according to plan twists Yuri’s chest uncomfortably in a way he’d rather not feel, so he puts on a scowl and whacks Flynn on the head with a pillow.

“Ow!” Flynn exclaims, rubbing his head and opening one sleepy eye at his roommate. “Yuri, what the hell—”

“OK, OK, you won, all right?” Yuri drawls, crossing his arms. “Now what do you want from me?”

“What do I want from you? I want you to go back to sleep.”

“Oh, is that all? Huh, and here I was worrying over nothing.”

“Shut up and come here.”

“Is that what you’re using your ask on?”

“No, just...” Flynn pulls his bedsheets back, opening up a space next to him. “Come here.”

Maybe they’re a little too old to be sleeping in each other’s beds now, but a part of Yuri wants to have that again, that sense of nostalgia and childhood, when the world wasn’t as fucked up, or at least he didn’t know it.

He climbs into the spot Flynn made for him and folds himself in next to his best friend. Flynn smells like he always does, fresh clothes and a familiar bed: home.

Either of them could easily turn this situation into something more, but instead they just sleep.

—

Yuri prods Flynn about his ask in the morning, but Flynn doesn’t say anything. He prods Flynn all the way through the rest of their journey, all throughout the fortress that is Tarqaron, all the way up until they see the tall staircase leading to what could be the end of everything.

“Come on, Flynn,” Yuri insists. “We’ve run out of time.”

“No, we haven’t. I’ll tell you afterward.”

“We don’t know if there’ll be an afterward.”

“There will be,” says Flynn, smiling. “We won’t lose.”

That shining positivity is sometimes so annoying.

It’s a terrible, grueling battle, and Yuri fights harder than he ever has in his life. He’s no longer just fighting for his life, and he isn’t even really aware that he’s fighting for the world. All he cares about is fighting for just one more day with Flynn, one more day before Flynn has to go back to his duties as a goddamn knight.

Of course, Flynn’s right. They strike down Duke, or what he’s become, and then with their energies combined, Yuri thrusts Brave Vesperia No. 2 into the air, toward that ominous darkness in the sky, and a deep, trembling power rumbles throughout the ground, the air, the world.

Everyone scrambles onto the ship, and Ba’ul zips them out of the crumbling fortress in the sky. Mentally and physically exhausted but riding a high from, you know, saving the world, they head back to Aurnion to deliver the good news to the gathered leaders of the world.

“Have you talked to Flynn yet?” Raven asks Yuri as they exit the ship.

“Not really,” Yuri answers. “Has he talked to you?”

“Yeah. He couldn’t stop apologizing, even after I told him it’s all right.” Raven smiles and nods toward the blonde knight ahead of them. “You got a good one.”

A warm feeling of pride blooms in Yuri’s chest.

Explaining everything to the leaders results in a whole political mess that Yuri doesn’t care to be a part of. After he waves away Ioder’s hundredth request to announce his contributions to the protection of Terca Lumireis, he starts packing up to go.

“You’re leaving already?”

Pausing after dropping a couple gels into Karol’s bag, Yuri looks up. It’s Flynn, looking like more of a confident young knight than ever, even if there’s what seems to be an expression of muted disappointment on his face.

Yuri leans on one leg and says, “If I don’t get out now, I think your boy’s gonna physically drag me behind a podium.”

“He just wants you to get the recognition you deserve.”

“I don’t like being in the spotlight.” Yuri winks. “That’s all for you, babe.”

It’s a flirty comment that Flynn’s heard already, but he’s never reacted like that before, frowning and dropping his gaze.

“Yuri...” Flynn starts. “I wanted to ask... I want to ask you to come home sometimes.”

Yuri’s eyebrows raise and he straightens up, letting the smirk fall from his mouth.

Flynn finally lifts his head to meet Yuri’s gaze. “I worry about you.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can, I just...” Flynn swallows. “It’d be easier to check up on you if you’re nearby. It always felt... good to have you by my side, as a knight, but even still, if you’re in the capital... that’s enough.”

They’ve gone through so much shit, they’ve played cat and mouse as cop and criminal, they’ve saved the world together, but right now, they’re just the same two boys hanging out in the Lower Quarter.

It’s kind of cute, really. Yuri was going to ask Flynn to come with them, and Flynn’s asking him to come home with him. They’re both being a little selfish, as they are, but in the end, they both just want to be closer to one other.

“Hm,” Yuri hums to himself in realization. “Fine, I’ll come home more often, but only if you come down to the Lower Quarter more.”

“I’ll do my best,” Flynn says, shoulders relaxing and a relieved smile on his lips.

With the world now at peace, they’ll finally have time for each other.

Flynn starts to leave and then says, “By the way, what were you going to ask me?”

“Oh, nothing,” Yuri says, and he smirks again. “Just maybe put you in a dress and have you in my bed.”

“Ugh, goodbye, Yuri.”

“See ya.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel: [Come Home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24256918)


End file.
